Bob The Badger

10 hours ago, Dimmu said:

To be tactically beaten by Mowbray third time in a row doesn't sound too good. What makes it worse is that Mowbray is hardly a tactical genius himself...

Some murmurs about playing from the back in a matchday thread. I do like it how Rooney sticks with it, all the great managers have been more or less stubborn after all.

To put that in perspective, Mowbray has been a manager 20 years, Rooney just over a year.

Rooney is still learning.

Also, Mowbray has a settled squad whereas Rooney has had vital players effectively given away.

Nobody in here hears the team talks and truly knows what he's trying to do tactically, so a lot of talk about tactics is guessing.

Similarly, we don't know if teenagers are just not sticking to task rather than being given the wrong ones.

Tactics rarely overcome a lack of talent or  a massive shortage of experience.

It's the latter that is really hamstringing Rooney.

At the moment and imho, Rooney isn't part of the problem. I doubt Cloughie could have done a better job of galvanising the club.

58 minutes ago, NottsRam said:

Watched the final ever episode of Gomorrah yesterday, for me the best drama ever.  I now feel like i've lost a pet and need a new one to ease the pain.  All suggestions are welcome.  

Yikes, I just saw your post after I posted.

If you're ok with subtitles (which clearly you are) check out the French crime series, Spiral. It gets crazy marks on IMDb and we've only watched the first 3 but looks very promising and according to my sister who usually has great taste, it gets better and better.

I'd recommend Narcos which is not far behind Gomorrah imho (especially the first 2 which are as good as anything), but I presume you will have seen that.

Just now, BaaLocks said:

Loved, and i mean loved, Peaky Blinders up to now but this series is just trying too hard. Too many doffed cap references to Helen McCrory, too many loop back suggestions to plots gone by. I'm just hoping it's just taking time to warm up but feels like it has all gone up it's own bum a bit.

I thought Gomorrah went a bit like that and Line of Duty definitely did.

Sometimes it's best to just say adieu. 

Schindlers List - Netflix

I've wanted to watch this for the 30 years it's been out but the wife never did and I was hesitant that it would just depress me.

The was going out on Saturday and as it gets thrown off Netflix at the end of this month I thought I'd watch it.

Totally remarkable.

Seldom have I seen a film where the acting, screenwriting and direction are all almost flawless.

I can see why it scores 9.0 on IMDb.

A harrowing yet heart lifting story and not for the squeamish.

It's tough to say you enjoyed a movie like this for obvious reasons, but jeez if you haven't watched it you probably should.

Steve Bloomer/10

13 hours ago, Highgate said:

I can't figure it out either. How did Putin, who as you say has successfully controlled Russia for decades, misjudge the situation so badly?  Propaganda is disseminated by a state to fool their own population....those spreading it aren't supposed to believe it themselves.  

The reality is that that becomes unavoidable.

The more you tell a lie the more you come to believe it's true and there is a lot of science to support that, it's not just a random belief.

Lying creates cognitive dissonance (in most people) and the brain hates that so will look to erase it by shifting perspectives.

24 minutes ago, Highgate said:

Yeah, as of now, Putin's well on course to destroy 2 countries, not just one. It's very hard to understand what he was thinking when he started the war or how his mindset might have changed given how badly things have gone. 

I'm sure you have listened to the experts and the common perception is that Putin thought and/or was told that it would be a quick win due to a combination of Russian might, a weak Ukrainian military and indeed, some Ukrainians welcoming the invasion.

I heard a guy interviewed yesterday who was a General in the US armed forces during the cold war and he said, we have made exactly the same mistake this time as we did in the 70s' and 80s' and that is giving the Russians/Soviets more credit than they were/are due.

he said that when they finally got to look at their capabilities after the cold war ended, they were shocked at just how poorly equipped and trained they were compared to the US and NATO.

Maybe Putin believs his own publicity, maybe he has been Bs'ed by frightened underlings or maybe there is something else altogether.

A LOT of military experts predicted this would be over in days and it's easy to look at it now and think, well that was never going to happen.

@Unlucky Alf - Ever poor decision looks like a lack of common sense after the event and every person makes poor decisions.

I think it's far too simplistic to say Putin lacks sense when the guy has controlled a country the size of Russia so tightly for so long and had western countries turning a blind eye as he's committed atrocities left, right and centre.

It's a mess and I cannot see how this doesn't spread.

1 hour ago, i-Ram said:

My wife and I watch all box series together. We generally have similar interests and taste but we are probably the furthest apart we could be on QotS. She thinks it’s really good, liking I think the fast paced nature of it. It’s Hollyoaks with loads more drugs and guns (and less honeys and gays); probably a good job I don’t critique TV and Films as a career. However, for my friends on here please believe me and Bob - avoid QotS like you would Syphilis.

Syphilis isn't so bad.

1 hour ago, Tamworthram said:

Just for balance, at the UN general assembly on 27/2/22, of the 54 African members 28 voted in favour of the resolution condemning Russia, 17 abstained (which could be interpreted as, we wanted to condemn it but we rely on Russia and therefore don’t want to upset them), 8 were absent and only 1 voted against (Eritrea). Also, whilst I’m sure, with justification, many African countries are not particularly fold of the west, I believe most voted (or abstained) in line with their current allegiance rather than against old enemies. I.e. with Russia rather than against the west. 

Too lazy to check but I'm pretty sure Russia has been arming the Eritreans in their war against Ethiopia which would explain that.

1 hour ago, Tamworthram said:

Pretty much anything ranks before Twitter in my opinion ?
 

Besides, I said it’s the last place I’d look. There is no doubt some sensible points of view and opinions on Twitter but it is so toxic I wouldn’t risk relying on it. 

Twitter can be brilliant if you follow the right accounts and then just read what they say/link to and don't get sucked into the comments.

I have almost 5k followers in large part from years ago when I wrote self development books, but I follow less than 100 people back. But most are comedians, Derby or LA Rams sources, or quality accounts like this guy. I don't even follow my sister back because that's not what I use Twitter for. 

Having said that, I do follow Piers Morgan and read the responses sometimes because they're hysterical.

Nothing binary about the people who follow Piers, they would either sleep with a goat if it pleased him, or murder the same goat if it would piss him off.

15 minutes ago, Tamworthram said:

Sorry but Twitter is probably the last place I would look if I wanted to know what was happening in Ukraine.

So rather than follow an ex-Major in the US army who is regularly interviews on a multitude of TV channels because he's seen as a world authority on urban warfare, you would prefer to get your information from a football message board?

For those of you on Twitter interested in what is happening in Ukraine, this guy is a must follow.

Ex-Major in the US military and now a leading academic on urban warfare, his entire life seems to be revolving around helping Ukrainian resistance on the ground via Twitter.

He could almost make a book out of his tweets and I scroll back to read every day.

9 hours ago, BaaLocks said:

Yeah, to clarify (tbf bit of a translation / interpretation alignment at my end as well).

The Russian army fighting in Ukraine have all signed up to fight. The point is that the next stage for Putin is to introduce conscription, compulsory enlisting of men / women under a certain age.

Really?

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/09/europe/russia-conscripts-fighting-ukraine-intl/index.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/craighooper/2022/03/01/shaken-russian-army-conscripts-make-perfect-targets-for-morale-crushing-operations/?sh=3feda6f751f8

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10598131/Russia-buries-18-year-old-conscript-youngest-victim-Ukraine-war-anger-grows.html

Is this the guy who signs them up?

21 hours ago, cstand said:

Since this thread has descended into people using refugees for their own political  propaganda I will no longer bother reading it.

I run a few Facebook groups and I can never understand when people feel the need to tell everybody they're leaving.

Are you expecting people to beg you to come back, or were you just concerned we'd worry about what happened to you?

15 hours ago, Eddie said:

Joker

Just brilliant

It was, totally outstanding.

Crime from Irving Welsh came up here a few times when it came out.

Decided to avail ourselves of the BritBox 7-day free trial and watch it.

Dougray Scott was absolutely excellent and there were some interesting characters, especially the cop with an utterly impenetrable accent and Scott's (I think intentionally) OTT boss, played by bulbous-nosed Ken Stott.

One of the IMDb knocks on it was for random story lines that were irrelevant to the main story, but I think they added to it rather than distracted as can sometimes be the case.

If you liked the Prime Suspect series, then I suspect you will enjoy this.

7.5/10

From there and prompted by the usually highly-reliable IMDb with a 8.1 rating we went for Queen of the South.

I know why they called it Queen of the South because it's about as good as the Doonhammers (of course I had to look it up - who knows that? But what a brilliant nickname).

It felt like I was watching Dynasty or Dallas with swearing and drugs.

It totally screamed SOAP OPERA and was utterly implausible.

I'd had enough in the 2nd episode when the main protagonist was surprised to be told she was in Dallas after apparently driving 2,000 km in 4 or 5 hours and then crossing the River Grande without even noticing.

2/10

8 hours ago, Alpha said:

No, not "whataboutism" 

Nobody here is justifying the invasion. You've said that 4 times now and it's still not true. 

Putin has given reasons for invading Ukraine. I've not seen anybody agree that his reasons are good enough. For the 4th time. 

However, we have discussed IF his concerns actually have something behind them. And that is debatable. That doesn't mean if you recognise some of his concerns that you support his reaction. It doesn't. I know you'd like to pretend it does so you can come for a 5th time suggesting people are supporting his war. But it doesn't. 

Nato expansion is real. Proxy wars are real. And those are in discussion. 

On the Western side you have America that has 750 military bases in 80 countries. It has been in conflict for 91% of its existence and has been directly involved in almost 400 military conflicts. This threat, this expansion, this world power is entirely relevant to Putin's claims. It's not "whataboutism". It's relevant discussion to the thread. Otherwise the thread is nothing more than news updates you can get from BBC. 

You're not into debating other perspectives? Well it's a good job the people in power are because otherwise we'll be in WW3. There needs to be an understanding. 

When is a good time to mention the thousands upon thousands of civilians killed by America? When is a good time to bring up these war crimes? Never? Feck the Middle East? Feck the Palestinians humanitarian aid as USA sends billions to Israel? No, I'm sure you don't think like that. 

So, if you've witnessed the utter carnage brought upon people by American direct and indirect military conflicts then now, while people are in touch with the human cost of war, would be a good time to mention the Napalm strikes, Agent Orange, Atomic bombs, hospitals, schools, community centers bombed, the capture and torture of the likes of Abu Zubaydah, the drone strikes that kill only civilians.

Because we all agree this war in Ukraine is wrong. So there's little point to keep patting each other on the back in agreement. 

But does Putin raise some valid concerns? That is something we can discuss. And are doing until someone comes along pretending that if you say "yes" then you're loving Ukrainian kids being bombed. 

What do we do with our warmonger? We call him "sir"

100% if you felt double standards were being applied to you, you would question it. That's not whataboutism. That's understanding the rules we're playing by. 

So when Putin talks about liberating the Donbass republics who voted for independence and he talks about activity such as that by Azov Battallion... we call that ******** excuses. But when America goes to war in Vietnam then it's to fight for democracy and freedom. Nothing to do with fear of communist domino effect America feared and the controversial Gulf of Tonkin incident. 

America and Russia have opposed each other since the Dinosaurs. They oppose each other in conflicts all across the globe over the decades. They're enemies. It's surely all relevant? The Cuban Missile Crisis is relevant. You say whataboutism... yes, West and East have been playing this game forever. It's all relevant. 

Russia can not allow enemies to infiltrate Ukraine any more than America can allow it in Cuba or Vietnam. 

And I still think invading Ukraine was insane. But we will all understand WHY he did it. Because Ukraine will be neutral, it won't be Nato, DPR and LPR will be annexed/become Russia. Crimea too. It will be controversial. But that's the why. 

Is it Russia's Vietnam? I dunno. I'm not smart enough to answer 

That's a very thoughtful and considered post mate.

A couple of years ago Bernie Sanders the independent Senator from Vermont and enemy of the far right pointed out that Fidel Castro had done some good things in Cuba.

He may as well have said he liked to fondle small barnyard animals because everything after that was drowned out by the apoplectic outrage from not just the Republicans but the moderate Dems and of course, all the exiled Cubans too.

The reality is that Cuba under Castro raised the level of education and healthcare to become the best at both in the Caribbean, which I think we can all agree is a good thing no matter what else he did.

People like binary choices because they are easy.

On a scale of 0 to 10 when it comes to the disregard for human life when it comes to his own interests, Putin is doing a Spinal Tap and is sat at 11 But we and the Americans are a LOT closer to 10 than 0.

On 06/03/2022 at 08:30, Mucker1884 said:

A one-legged Mick Coop wearing a blindfold out of 10. 

So Mick Coop then.

29 minutes ago, Alpha said:

Yeah, I agree. I did twist it a little to try to illustrate the irony in a humanitarian military operation can to lead to many civilians deaths in America's intervention. 

That was a bit of a dick move by me

But anyway, Ukraine..

I've made world-class dick moves in my time, and no doubt will moving forward.

I haven't quite got the pace I once had, but I can still spot an opening for one and thread it in there with precision.

1 hour ago, Alpha said:

There's nothing funny about countless dead civilians and destroyed infrastructure. 

In fairness, I think @Leeds Ram was probably using this definition of the word funny.

Difficult to explain or understand; strange or odd.

2 hours ago, cstand said:

5,535 have applied for visas. Most refugees seek asylum to a country close to the country where they have been displaced from.

Moldova is on track to take about a third of its current population in refugees and they are already a severely impoverished country with a struggling economy.

Poland is on track for a million and their citizens are literally welcoming the refugees with open arms.

We have the same responsibilities as the Moldovans and Poles, we should be meeting them at the border too (as should every European nation not names Russia or Belarus) not expecting them to cope with everything because they're the nearest country.

Boris suggested we are doing that, but gave no details, no commitments and no numbers. 

50 is utterly pathetic no matter how you dice it and those 5k should be fast tracked and another 100k visa (minimum) put up.

Phew, for a moment and even though this has been building for years, I thought we had no plan.

11 minutes ago, therealhantsram said:

Loving this recommendation. Thanks so much.

The lead actor is incredible. The show rests entirely on his shoulders and he delivers perfectly.

Have to say the Beeb have been knocking it out of the park this winter. What with this, The Responder, This is Going to Hurt and Peaky Blinders... probably my 4 favourite dramas in the last year on any service.

All of those shows I'd highly recommend.

I'll add another by the BBC that was just as good imho, although it was last summer, Time with Sean Bean.

The Courier

With Benedict Cumberbatch on Amazon Prime.

Mart Poom/10

If you like your spy films with car chases, fight sequences and lots of Bondlike gadgets you'll hate this.

Well, maybe you won't because I quite like those things in context, but as this is based heavily on a true story they wouldn't work at all.

Half an hour in or more I was a bit bored and the film is really about the second half or even last third.

BC is his usual brilliant self playing a salesman employed by MI6 and the CIA to act as an intermediary with a high-ranking Soviet spy looking to leak plans for the Soviet nuclear missile deployment to Cuba in the early 60s'.

If you don't know the story of Greville Wynne the main character (and I didn't, I confess), then don't look it up first. Wait until the film has finished and it will make it even better.

Edit: The situation in Ukraine makes the movie all the more poignant.